Thursday Things #99

Boring facts, telling stories, a couple lists and, shockingly, a recommendation for... a lamp? (But it's so good y'all.)

Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee or text, if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!

Hi hi,

I’m not sure if you noticed the number in the subject line but 100! We are nearly at 100! So many favorites! So many things every other Thursday! So many exclamation marks in this intro!

Seriously though, and surprising absolutely no one at all, I have Some Thoughts and Some Feelings on this—this whole thing that was a short-term experiment that became a regular rhythm spanning years, a long-term place where we can share the random, look for the good, and connect through a screen over the things we’d chat about if we could meet in person.

I like us.

But I’ll save the sap for another time because it’s just regular ol’ TT #99 right? 😉

As per usual, it’s a conglomeration of Things. We’re starting with a lot of words about lamps (what is even happening) and ending with boring facts (puh-lease tell me yours).

In which I’m going to rave about a lamp.

Well there’s a first time for everything. Today I’m adding “make a lamp recommendation” to my list so I can cross that right off.

Allow me to introduce you to the standing lamp I bought during Prime Week:

SUNMORY Arc Floor Lamp, Modern Floor Lamp with Romote Control and Stepless Dimmable Bulb, Metal Standing Lamps with Hanging Lampshade for Living Room, Bedroom, Office (affiliate link)

(We can always count on Amazon to add 281 words to a product name.)

So here’s the thing. When my roommate got married and moved away this summer, her things went with her. Of course. But after six years together, six years of adding this or that over time, it left for quite an interesting mishmash after the last box was stuffed in the U-haul. Suddenly, her living room had a chair but no couch, a TV but no TV table, a standing lamp but no end tables, etc. I had the opposite, of course, and so we ended up with separate “keep an eye out for a good deal on ____” lists. Many things would simply have to wait because money, but after prioritizing, a standing lamp made it’s way to my top three because of one reason: I read. A lot. And lighting, particularly cozy lighting that isn’t the truly awful florescent overhead in the living room. I had my mission and all these many words later I’m here to tell you that this Amazon find is legitimately one of my favorite things. It’s been two and a half months and it brings me actual delight every evening. Sure, yes, it’s a small thing. But minuscule still matters.

I’ll stop babbling about a lamp (who have I becomeeeeeee) and just tell you it has a remote so you can easily adjust the brightness, change the temperature of the color, opt for any of the pre-programmed settings (a nightlight, blue light for when working on a computer, etc) or set it to go off at a certain time.

In a word, it’s fantastic.

(It’s currently 10-50% off, depending on the color you choose.)

The list I keep coming back to.

So there’s the list of now-empty spaces and things I’m watching for/waiting to buy, and then there’s this list of people who waited a really long time for God to answer their prayers.

(HOW IS THAT FOR A SEGWAY.)

But really, this.

If you’ve been asking God “how much longer?”—

If you find yourself praying “Well, You’ve heard it all already... There’s nothing to say that hasn’t already been said so I’m here again asking, please? Just, please?”—

If it seems like absolutely nothing is changing and you believe without a doubt that God could change XYZ in an instant but, currently, you’re waiting for the sea to split, the walls to fall, the storm to still—

If what you want is a miracle and what you’ve received is just enough strength to carry you through the day—

This is for you.

The story I’ll tell. 🎵

I shared the studio version of The Story I’ll Tell a couple years ago but the live version released this summer—and it seems like the exact right song to follow the post above.

The lyrics. OOF. Here’s a snippet:

The hour is dark and it’s hard to see,

What you are doin’ here in the ruins

And where this will lead,

Oh but I know that down through the years,

I’ll look on this moment, see your hand on it and know you were here

And I’ll testify of the battles you’ve won

How you were my portion when there wasn’t enough

I'll sing a song of the seas that we crossed

The waters you parted, the waves that I walked

My God did not fail, it’s the story I’ll tell

I know it is well, it’s the story I’ll tell

Boring facts.

The people need to know and I am the people: what is your boring fact?!?

I asked in a question box on IG Stories a few weeks ago and the responses are some of favorites of all time. Please, fill up the comments with all the boring things. I’ll add a couple there, too. :)

See you back here for Thursday Things ONE HUNDRED?!

You know we’re gonna celebrate with a giveaway.